Edward Green Bradford (July 17, 1819 – January 16, 1884) was a Delaware politician and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

Education and career

Born in

Cecil County Cecil County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The county was ...

, Maryland, Bradford graduated from Delaware College (now the University of Delaware) in 1839 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

to enter the bar in 1842. He was a deputy state attorney general in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, Delaware from 1842 to 1850, and a city solicitor for Wilmington, Delaware. In 1849, he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives, returning to private practice in Wilmington the following year. In 1861, he was named United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, a post that he held until 1866.

Federal judicial service

Bradford was nominated by President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

on December 11, 1871, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Delaware vacated by Judge

Willard Hall Willard Hall (December 24, 1780 – May 10, 1875), was a Delaware attorney and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served in the Delaware Senate, as a United States represent ...

. The following day, Bradford was confirmed by the United States Senate and received his commission. He served on the court until his death on January 16, 1884, in Wilmington.

Family

Bradford married Mary Alicia Heyward (1820-1848), the granddaughter of

Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Heyward Jr. (July 28, 1746 – March 6, 1809) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, jurist, and politician. Heyward was active politically during the Revolutionary Era. As a member of the Continental Congress representing South Carol ...

, a signer of the Declaration of Independence for South Carolina. Their son, Edward Green Bradford II, also became both a Delaware State Representative and federal judge. Their daughter, Elizabeth Canby Bradford, married

Alexis Irénée du Pont Jr. Alexis Irénée du Pont Jr. (June 5, 1843 – November 26, 1904) was an American business executive and non-practicing physician. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Du Pont was a son of Alexis ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Edward Green 1819 births 1884 deaths Members of the Delaware House of Representatives United States Attorneys for the District of Delaware Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware United States federal judges appointed by Ulysses S. Grant 19th-century American judges People from Cecil County, Maryland United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American legislators